CHRISTMAS POINSETTIAS

Every year our parishes offer the chance to purchase red poinsettias in honor of loved ones either living or deceased, and these will decorate the chuches over the Christmas and New Year Holidays.

Please fill out the order form included in this weekend’s bulletin, or print the form out below, and turn it in with payment by December 8th. Make sure to print all of your names CLEARLY to prevent spelling errors on the thank you sheets. Finished forms should be added to the collection at Mass services, or dropped off at the parish office via the mail slot. Please mark envelopes with “Christmas Flowers” or “Poinsettias” to prevent delays in counting your orders.


There’s no denying that poinsettias make bright, festive decorations during winter months. But they’re native to Central America, particularly southern Mexico, and they’re actually colorful leaves, not flowers. So why do we consider them the official Christmas flowers anyway?

The reason we associate poinsettias with the holidays comes from an old Mexican legend. A young girl named Pepita was sad that she didn’t have a gift to leave for the baby Jesus at Christmas Eve services. Her cousin tried to comfort her and said that Jesus would love any present from her, even the smallest one. With no money to buy a real gift, Pepita picked a bouquet of weeds that she walked past on the way to church. (Other versions of the story say an angel came to her and instructed her to pick the plants.) When she got there, she left the weeds at the bottom of the nativity scene. All of a sudden, the weeds transformed into beautiful red flowers.

From that day on, they became known as “Flores de Noche Buena,” or “Flowers of the Holy Night.”

Poinsettias get their American name from Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico, who brought them to the states from Mexico in the early 1800s. They didn’t become traditional holiday decorations until the entrepreneurial Ecke family started promoting them a century later. Paul Ecke Jr. sent free poinsettia plants to TV studios across the country, including “The Tonight Show” and Bob Hope’s holiday specials. Eventually, the trend caught on, and now poinsettias are among the most popular plants sold in the U.S. Congress even declared December 12 to be National Poinsettia Day, the anniversary of Poinsett’s death.

By Claire Nowak, Readers Digest

Source: https://www.rd.com/culture/poinsettias-official-christmas-flower/

All Saints & All Souls Day Mass Times

All Saints day and All Souls day are approaching! Please note; our parish office will be closed on Friday, November 1st, for the occasion. You may view our Mass schedule and plan accordingly.

The Parish Choir will be singing for the 5:30pm Mass at St. Mary’s on November 1st.

All Saints Day, a Holy Day of Obligation, Friday November 1st.

· 8am at St. Joseph

· 5:30pm at St. Mary

We will offer vigil lights for All Souls day, Saturday November 2nd.

 · 8am at St. Mary

· 4:00pm at St. Joseph

· TBA (en español)

Vigil lights will be lit for All Souls Day Masses

Below is the list for whom these candles are offered;

ALL SOULS DAY VIGIL CANDLES

All Saints Day & All Souls Day Masses

All Saints Day, a Holy Day of Obligation, Friday November 1st.

Mass times:

· 8am at St. Joseph

· 5:30pm at St. Mary

We will offer vigil lights for All Souls day, Saturday November 2nd.

Mass times:

 · 8am at St. Mary

· 4:00pm at St. Joseph

· TBA (en español)

Every year we offer vigil candles in memory of our departed loved ones. Each candle will be $5 a piece.

Order forms will be available as inserts, to pick up from the back of church, the office or the St. Joseph Breezeway

(or print below).

Please return forms directly to the parish office, or drop them off with collection at Masses marked with “All Souls Candles” or “Candle Order Form”

May their spirits rest in peace, and be filled with joy for their friends and families.

Bible Study – Angels in the Bible

Join us for the upcoming Bible Study, focusing on angels in the bible. Many of you have expressed interest in exploring this topic at our last Bible study, and Cynthia Saar is putting together a series to make those dreams come true!

Bible Study: Angels in the Bible

Dates: Six Sunday Sessions beginning September 22, 29, October 6, 13, 20 & 27

From: 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm (90 min.)

Location: Holy Family Community Center

Questions & Registration at the Parish Office (815) 232-8271

Book Price: $10

Sign up will be available after Masses on Sept 14th and 15th

“The Bible is full of passages about angels who are sent to accomplish God’s will. Angels speak for God, direct the course of nations, and protect God’s people. They worship God and deliver God’s judgment. In Angels in the Bible, Fr. George Smiga examines some of the Bible’s most fascinating passages about angels, exploring their ministry on God’s behalf and drawing insights for our own spiritual lives. Because angels are mediators of God’s presence and action, studying angels is studying God. Commentary, study and reflection questions, prayers, and access to online lectures are included.”

If interested, please contact and register with the Parish Office (815) 232-8271.

FYI: It’s best the first lesson be read before class begins on September 22.

“George M. Smiga, STD, is a nationally known author and lecturer in Scripture and homiletics. A priest of the Diocese of Cleveland, Smiga serves on the faculty of Saint Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology. He received his doctorate in biblical theology from the Gregorian University in Rome in 1985 and is the author of Pain and Polemic: Anti-Judaism in the Gospels and The Gospel of John Set Free: Preaching without Anti-Judaism. Smiga writes a monthly column for Living with Christ and contributes regularly to Give Us This Day. His website is buildingontheword.org.

Rosay for Suicide Awareness

JOIN US SEPTEMBER 4TH

Suicide Prevention Month

September marks National Suicide Prevention Month – a month to remember the lives lost to suicide, the millions of people who have struggled with suicidal ideation, and acknowledge the individuals, families, and communities that have been impacted. It is also a time to raise awareness about suicide prevention and share messages of hope.

Help us reduce the risk for suicide in our community by offering prayerful support, love, and acceptance to all of those in great suffering.

St. Joseph and St. Mary parishes will be participating in the first week of September as

“National Suicide Prevention Week”

We will be praying a Rosary together on Wednesday, September 4th after regular Mass at St. Joseph. We will start at 6:00pm. We hope you will be there to join us!

Join the Choir!

JOIN OUR CHURCH CHOIR!

Come, Help Us

“Sing Praise to the Lord!”

Please help us improve our Holy Choir by adding more voices.

You are invited to join our group of cantors at any of the weekend Masses. There is no audition to join, and schedules are flexible. To help everyone feel comfortable and familiar with the music we will be practicing once a month on the LAST Thursday of each month at St. Joseph Church.

Enter the church through the breezeway door.

with any questions, comments or concerns.

Looking forward to singing with you!

Summer Discernment Retreats 2024

God is calling. In the busyness of life, it’s important for us to slow down and listen to His voice.

This summer, our Vocation’s Office is hosting two discernment days for young men who are open to the Lord’s invitation to go deeper. These days are an opportunity for fun, time with priests and seminarians, and prayer with the sacraments.

These one-day retreats will be offered at St. Bridget’s in Loves Park on Thursday, July 18th and at Holy Cross in Batavia on Saturday, July 20th.

You can find more info in today’s bulletin or register at RockfordPriest.org

MRC Ice Cream Social 2024

ICE CREAM SOCIAL!

Sunday July 14th, from 1 – 4pm

The Madonna Renewal Center will be hosting the 3rd annual

Ice Cream Social

Sunday July 14th, from 1 – 4pm

Ticket sales before and after Masses. Tickets are $10 each.

We will have Union Dairy ice cream, delicious pies and cakes, lemonade and water to drink and entertainment by Ukulele Express from 2-3:30pm.

All proceeds benefit the hard work that the Blue Nuns and our volunteers do at the Madonna Renewal Center every day.

Thanks to your support, we are able to assist mothers in need and help them have the confidence and care enough to choose LIFE.

Thank you!

Corpus Christ Procession 2024

June 2nd, 2024

After 10:30am Mass at St. Joseph

The feast day of Corpus Christi will be on Sunday, June 2nd, after the morning Mass at St Joseph ChurchWe will make a joyful and prayerful procession to St. Mary Church.  We invite all people to come and join us at 11:15am in making a public witness of our faith in Jesus Christ.  The celebration will conclude with a consecration to the Eucharist and ice cream.  Spanish Mass at St. Mary will follow. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will be available throughout the afternoon in our new Holy Family Center chapel.

La fiesta del Corpus Christi comenzará el domingo 2 de junio después de la misa de 10:30 en la iglesia de San José. Haremos una procesión alegre y en oración a la Iglesia de Santa María. Invitamos a todas las personas a venir y unirse a nosotros a las 11:15 am para dar un testimonio público de nuestra fe en Jesucristo. La celebración concluirá con una consagración a la Eucaristía y un helado. A continuación, se celebrará una misa en español en Santa María. La adoración del Santísimo Sacramento estará disponible durante toda la tarde en nuestra nueva capilla del Centro de la Sagrada Familia.